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>> and now "bbc world news." >> going nowhere fast. extreme snow conditions spell misery for travelers across the united states'northeastern seaboard. nine men in the u.k. charged in connection with a terror plot in the run-up to christmas. international condemnation of the second conviction of a russian businessman and political opponent of vladimir putin. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers on pbs in america and also around the globe. i am james dagwell. in the ivory coast, they are trying to persuade the incumbent president to step down peacefully. and in rome, they have defused the device.

heavy snow and high winds are continuing to cause widespread disruption across a large area of the northeastern united states. 50 centimeters of snow has fallen on central park in new york. the city's three major airports were shut on sunday night and have reopened, but they face major backlogs. the states of maryland, north carolina, maryland -- virginia, maine, and another have a state of emergency. >> keep an eye on the clock. so much snow falls so fast that the clock has to be repeatedly doug free. this time-lapse video from the state of new jersey shows it was not just the amount of snow, but it was the speed with which it

fell that nearly shut down the northeast seaboard. the result? the travel misery that thousands suffered across europe before christmas hit to the u. s, with the new york's three airports scrapping more than 1000 flights, and only one place for travelers to hunker down. tourists have had their short to breaks extended -- their short breaks extended due to cancellations. >> we were mystified because it was not even snowing then. >> there was no up and down the northeast coast of the u.s. while the winds dropped 25, 30, sometimes 50 centimeters of snow onto roads, railways, and runways. high winds crashed through the skies, leaving roads either impossible or like this. >> it is just crazy.

sometimes, you can see 15 feet in front of you, sometimes 30, and then nothing. there was lightning and thunder before. it is crazy. >> a blizzard was forecast, but the snow skipped washington. is the winds that keep those flags snapping and cracking, which dumped it north of here, paralyzing part of the u.s.. no form of transport is immune from the icy grip of the snow. many will struggle just to get into their cars. others pushed through on foot. retailers are worried that one of the biggest shopping days is ruined. for new york's subway travelers, a night of misery. there train broke down, and they spent six hours waiting for rescue. one by one, the airports are reopening, so the recovery has begun, but clearing the backlog and the streets will take time and patience.

bbc news, washington. >> it could take until next week to clear the backlog of stranded passengers. >> all of the airports are now reopens, a philadelphia, boston, and the airports in new york, laguardia, jfk, but just because the airports have reopened, that does not mean that the backlog of passengers goes away. it is estimated that something like 7000 flights across all of the airports in the northeastern united states were canceled in the last couple of days. that means an awful lot of people waiting around to be rebooked. of course come at this time of year, many are already at capacity -- of course, at this time of year, many are already at capacity. it is very, very difficult, and we are hearing that it could

take into next week before some of those people are sent on their way. >> no stranger to this kind of weather, were the authorities prepared this time? >> i think, generally, in this part of the world, they are reasonably well prepared for extreme weather. only last year in washington, d.c., we saw extremely heavy snowfall that lasted for a number of days. it came to be known as "snow- meggedon." but what they could not deal with was so much snow falling in such a short period of time, 12 to 24 hours. there were the street sweepers clearing a path for people, and they could not keep up. >> from washington. in russia, it has been the relatively mild weather that is

causing problems. rain has fallen onto frozen ground, and the ice has brought down many power lines, including those serving the airports. thousands of passengers are stranded. >> temperatures have risen inside the airport, but not in a good way. with thousands delayed and facilities stretched well beyond breaking point, feelings have gotten a little he did. -- heated. >> the toilets are not walk the reworking, no coffee or tea -- the toilets are not working, no coffee or tea. >> rain froze on the power cables. the weight caused them to snap, the the airport in the dark, causing them to improvise. -- leaving the airport in the dark. >> they brought in a generator

so we could have a light in the main part of the airport. >> across moscow, the rain froze where it fell, coating the city in a layer of ice. branches fell from trees, and well over 1000 people were hospitalized. the last time the capital injured weather like this was more than 30 years ago. -- the last time the capital in toward -- endured weather like this. for now, officials are confidently predicting that things will be back to normal within a couple of days. bbc news. >> nine men have appeared in court charged in connection with an alleged plot to bomb high- profile targets in london in the run-up to christmas. the court was told that there was the investigation into potential targets, including the stock exchange, the american embassy, and political and religious figures. the men were arrested during a

series of raids last week. three of the men were detained at the same time but were later released without charge. from the magistrates court, our reporter. >> the nine men were brought to the court this morning after a week of questioning by counter- terrorism officers. the two suspects arrested in london, with a third, followed by three men from cardiff and four from stoke-on-trent. the men gave their name, ages, and addresses. they are charged with xp -- conspiracy for explosion and acts of terrorism. the court was told they were agreeing about potential targets, carrying out reconnaissance on those targets, and testing incendiary materials. it is alleged to the london

stock exchange was one of the high-profile locations they planned to attack. the american embassy was another. the suspects are also charged with possessing documents containing information likely to be of use to terrorists, in the form of an extremist jihadi newspaper. this is the most high-profile arrest since last april. bbc news, westminster magistrates' court. >> police have surrounded a house in north england after shots were fired by a man inside. he is not thought to be seriously injured but hit. the gunman is inside a house. it is not quite clear how the siege began or what he opened fire. he is believed to be alone with no hostages.

they say the position of the building means they do not believe other residents in the area are still at risk. the policeman who was hit has been taken to the hospital for a checkup and is not thought to be seriously hurt. there has been widespread western condemnation of the second conviction of the russian business meter -- leader and gop opponent of vladimir putin, mikhail khodorkovsky. his lawyers have always said the charges against him were politically motivated. there is concern about the apparent abuse of the russian legal system. germany called the conduct of the trial extremely dubious. >> a forced smile from mikhail khodorkovsky, but it did not hide the strain as he was brought into court in handcuffs. once russia's biggest billionaire, he has already spent seven years in prison, much of it in siberia, and he says the reason for his prosecution is that he dared to

speak out against the kremlin. on the public benches, his mother told me that if the judge remained independent and withstood the political pressure, he would clear her son. but almost from the moment he started, it was obvious that they judge was going to find mikhail khodorkovsky and his business partner guilty of embezzling millions of dollars of oil and of money laundering. many more years in jail lie ahead for the tycoon turned convict. mikhail khodorkovsky has portrayed this trial as a battle for modern russia, a struggle between the war of law and politics. -- the rule of law and politics. protesters braved rest outside the courts. their suspicions about russian justice only reinforced by the

verdict. among the crowd, former senior ministers, claiming that khodorkovsky was being punished for his politics, not for his actions as the head of russia's biggest oil company. >> he is very brave, khodorkovsky. putin wants him to be in prison forever. this is not good for russia's future. it means that this is not a country of law. this is a country of dictatorship. >> two weeks to go in a televised national phone in, the prime minister, vladimir putin, was asked about the khodorkovsky case. "thieves belong in prison," putin said. khodorkovsky became a symbol of hope for the opposition, and hope that was-again today. bbc news, -- a hope that was

dashed again today. bbc news, moscow. >> have people in britain are piling on the pounds. here in the u.k., the parents of a 25-year-old landscaper lead architect -- a landscape architect laid flowers today. >> it is a visit the parents want to make. her father and mother came with her brother and boyfriend to the country lane where she was bound. they took time to lay flowers and see the site for themselves. the 25-year-old had been missing since december 17. police were alerted to two days later, when her boyfriend returned from a family visit to find their flat empty. then, on christmas morning, her body was discovered 3 miles away, closed but covered in

snow. it was spotted by the roadside -- clothes but covered in snow. they are trying to gather evidence, mindful that last night's snow may have had an effect. there is the suspension bridge, with 32 cctv cameras helping detectives. >> it is ongoing. we are going to identify as many as possible. we ask people to come forward. >> they hope that the delayed post-mortem examination will provide vital answers. the plan had been to release the results of that post-mortem examination several hours ago, but it has still been taking place this evening, and that is because of the frozen condition at the site where her body was

found, but the message from the police here tonight is that her death is still being treated as suspicious. john mcguire, bbc news. >> hello, i am james dagwell. disruption and travel chaos in the united states' northeastern seaboard. nine men have appeared in court in the u.k., charged in a terror plot in the run-up to christmas. a delegation of west african leaders are due to arrive in ivory coast on tuesday to urge the country's incumbent president to step down peacefully. he has been refusing to quit since last month's disputed election. military intervention has been threatened if he does not hand over to the opposition leader,

recognized internationally as the new president. we have this report. >> on guard outside the opposition leader's headquarters, the hotel is where he has been based since last month's disputed poll. on monday, the united nations' chief of peacekeeping operations inspected security here and met with the man the u.s. recognizes as the winner of the election. international pressure has been piling on the incumbent president to step down, but he had shown no signs of doing so, citing vote rigging. he also claims the united nations is part of a plot to overthrow him from power. >> we are not in a war with anyone, and in terms of civilian protection, it is something very complicated and very important at the same time. we are carrying this out in the

most impartial manner possible. >> the west african body is planning to send three heads of state here on tuesday to try to convince the incumbent to step aside, with a warning of military intervention if he does not do so peacefully. the group was describing the mission as a final gesture. the presidential election was supposed to unify ivory coast, plunged into civil war just eight years ago. instead, it has brought political deadlock, violence, and fear. u.n. security forces patrolled the streets. there are mixed views about them being here. >> the u.n. is not doing its job. they must leave, they must leave. >> to me, the solution is not to make them leave. together, we must find a solution. >> uncertain times and ivory

coast, with a tense standoff between these two men continuing. bbc news. >> bomb disposal experts have defused a parcel bomb sent to the greek embassy in rome. it was found just days after a similar bombs exploded at two other embassies in the political -- italian capital, injuring two people. we have this report. >> police and bomb disposal experts arrived within minutes of the alarm given in the roman quarter. the greek ambassador ordered the evacuation. >> we discovered a suspicious package. at the embassy. and we needed lee informed them. they were here within three minutes -- and we immediately informed them. >> there were several other foreign some arms during the

day, as suspicious packages were examined by police and other embassies -- there were several other suspicious alarms -- several other false alarms. packages were delivered to embassies in athens last night. bombs also send to the silvio berlusconi prime minister, the french president, and the german chancellor -- bombs or also sent. -- parcels were also sent to sylvia bernasconi, the prime minister. those delivered in italy appeared to be designed to maim whoever opened them. bbc news, rome. >> the government of bolivia has increased fuel prices by more than 70%. the administration says the $380

million state subsidy can no longer be afforded, especially as much of it ends up going to foreigners. jonathan josephs has more. >> for the bolivians comet is a most unwelcome christmas present. -- for the bolivians, it is a most unwelcome christmas present. the heavy subsidies can no longer continue. profiteers' often take advantage by smuggling the cheap fuel out of the country and sell it in neighboring nations -- profiteers often take advantage. the money, instead of going abroad, should stay in the country, to benefit bolivians, so what does it mean to bolivian consumers? a liter of regular gasoline has gone up to around 91 cents from about 53 cents.

there are now fears of higher food prices and inflation in one of the poorest countries. the exploitation of their long oil and gas reserves has been an issue. >> the production of fuel has gone down drastically in the country. you must remember, in bolivia, oil companies received about $20 per barrel. it is three times that much elsewhere. >> the government says it will freeze some things to mitigate the impact, but previous increases in fuel prices have led to mass protests. jonathan josephs, bbc news. >> last summer, millions of people across pakistan were displaced by devastating floods. now, there are signs that life

is getting back to normal, with the completion of the first stage of projects to replace some of the hundreds of bridges that were destroyed. some areas are being reconnected. we have this report. >> this will be a very welcome sight for all sorts of people, the final section of a bridge being put in place in this valley. the components of this bridge where shipped and driven the length of the country to get here, but they now will be connecting that side of the river and the other. there was a bridge here in the past, but that was one of the 300 that was swept away and completely destroyed at the end of july, and since then, people have had to struggle across the river with makeshift bridges, like they have in many communities across pakistan. also, it was very difficult for

vehicles to cross the river at all. but now, this is about one of 50 bridges that the british government is going to fund. of course, during the summer, during the monsoon rains and the heavy floods, many people lost their lives and homes and livelihoods. this is a sign that some progress is being made. we are hoping for much more in 2011. >> now, it is an epidemic slowly spreading worldwide, with developing company -- countries embracing western lifestyle. obesity is exploded. -- exploding. the british, too, have been getting heavier over the last two decades. >> the festive season come a time to enjoy food, but also one for plates and leftovers cleared come a time for reflection, the

worry of long-term risk of eating too much and exercising too little. there is a new study that suggests that in 1.5 decades, the average weight of british men went up more than one stone. >> large numbers of people essentially with diabetes and arthritis, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers, and these are largely preventable if we deal with the increased problems of waite and obesity. >> the research, published in the british journal of nutrition, shows the average weight for women was up over a 14-year period. at the same time, many gained an average of 7.7 kilos, and the trend has continued upward -- men gained an average of 7.7 kilos. the research suggests that the more accounts for around two- thirds of the weight gain in men. the other key factor is that

jobs have become less active. many people spend the working day -- campaigners say that makes it all the more important that public health messages on obesity are heatedhe -- heeded. >> the more overweight you are, the more difficult it is to lose the weight. it will take perseverance. >> they will be sending a details and a document due to be published in the spring -- they will be publishing details in a document in the spring. >> neanderthal man enjoyed a more sophisticated diet than previously thought until now, it was thought they ate almost nothing but meat, but a new study has revealed evidence of a diet rich in vegetables, and it has also found more. now you know.

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